1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing an inhomogeneous porous material and a transparent physical model allowing the behavior of samples in response to injected fluids to be simulated and visualized in the laboratory.
Such a model is useful for example when studying in the laboratory the displacement of multiphase fluids in a porous medium with similar characteristics to those of rocks of underground deposits that may contain hydrocarbons.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known in the industry that agglomerates, that can be obtained for example by sintering particles of specific sizes such as ceramic powders and glass, metal, etc. microbeads, can be made for wide-ranging applications. In this way, blocks whose porosity is relatively homogenous, or composites that combine agglomerates made from different substances, are formed. One example of a known process for manufacturing an inhomogeneous material for a heat insulator by sintering metal powders and ceramic powders is described in Patent WO/8505352.